Cheysa Finn
Pirate Lord
Ahoy everyone,
We are on day 3 of Beta. There are many issues with bugs and crashes that need to be resolved. This is going to be a fairly blunt post that in a nutshell is asking everyone to be patient.
I know bugs and crashing are annoying and frustrating and aggravating and maddening. I know what it's like to want to play POTCO again with every fiber of your gamer self. I know what it's like to finally get that chance, but have it be less than what you expected. I know what it's like to not be able to play because real life keeps you busy and then there are no available PlayTimes when you are finally free. I also know what it's like to finally get on but then an update kicks you off.
All of us are experiencing at least a few of those issues. We all loved POTCO. We all want to play again. We all want the game to be perfect right now.
During the downtime, everyone wanted the game to be back up. Now it is, and a good number of people have found new things to complain about.
In order to create the game you love, it takes time. It takes an innumerable amount of testing. It takes updates to fix the bugs and crashing.
Be patient. If you expect it all to be perfect now, you'll be disappointed every time. If you want updates to stop interrupting your PlayTime, then the game will never be finished. If you want to stop crashing every five minutes, then you have to be willing to see updates.
Even with all of the crashing, I guesstimate that you as a community member are seeing more game time than anyone on PF or TLOPO staff. Staff on both sides are literally spending every free moment of their time to make the game happen for you.
We are extremely well aware that the game is far from perfect right now, and we are working to fix that.
Not only do we request that you be patient, but please be kind and empathetic. Demanding that a bug be fixed immediately is not going to make it get fixed quicker. Demanding that someone respond to your thread will only take someone away from something else.
There is no time frame for updates. We do what we need to do, test everything briefly to make sure nothing conflicts, then we open the game back up. This could take 10 minutes or an hour. The wait is worth it.
Release notes will most always be written within a day or two of the update. I write them as a help to the developers so that they can keep developing. I have real life responsibilities, so I can't always get to them when the update happens.
These forums have a nice set up that allows you to report bugs. Please help out the moderators and developers by posting your reports in an organized way. If there is a thread devoted to reporting bugs, use it. Take a bit of time to research before you ask a question. We post things publicly for a reason. If both staffs are using all of their free time to bring the game back, I think you can spend a few moments to make sure you are being a help and not a hindrance.
Please don't expect a reply to a thread or PM immediately. There is no need to ask 3 people the same question because one didn't get to you right away. When I logged in today, I had 17 PMs and 120 notifications to answer. Obviously, I can't answer everything as soon as I see that.
Be encouraging. Make sure you are using your role as a Beta tester to be a help towards the game's completion, and not as an excuse to complain about how your favorite thing isn't working right. Pretend anything you say is being said to you. Do you respond well to demands and condescension? Do you want to continue doing something nice for someone when all they do is complain at you for not being perfect?
If the game launcher tells you that the game is down for an update, then the game is down for an update. We are fully aware of it. Please be patient and try logging in every few minutes to see if the update is over.
Please forgive me if this thread is too blunt, but I feel we could all gain something from these reminders.
Thank you for reading and happy Beta.
~ Cheysa
We are on day 3 of Beta. There are many issues with bugs and crashes that need to be resolved. This is going to be a fairly blunt post that in a nutshell is asking everyone to be patient.
I know bugs and crashing are annoying and frustrating and aggravating and maddening. I know what it's like to want to play POTCO again with every fiber of your gamer self. I know what it's like to finally get that chance, but have it be less than what you expected. I know what it's like to not be able to play because real life keeps you busy and then there are no available PlayTimes when you are finally free. I also know what it's like to finally get on but then an update kicks you off.
All of us are experiencing at least a few of those issues. We all loved POTCO. We all want to play again. We all want the game to be perfect right now.
During the downtime, everyone wanted the game to be back up. Now it is, and a good number of people have found new things to complain about.
In order to create the game you love, it takes time. It takes an innumerable amount of testing. It takes updates to fix the bugs and crashing.
Be patient. If you expect it all to be perfect now, you'll be disappointed every time. If you want updates to stop interrupting your PlayTime, then the game will never be finished. If you want to stop crashing every five minutes, then you have to be willing to see updates.
Even with all of the crashing, I guesstimate that you as a community member are seeing more game time than anyone on PF or TLOPO staff. Staff on both sides are literally spending every free moment of their time to make the game happen for you.
We are extremely well aware that the game is far from perfect right now, and we are working to fix that.
Not only do we request that you be patient, but please be kind and empathetic. Demanding that a bug be fixed immediately is not going to make it get fixed quicker. Demanding that someone respond to your thread will only take someone away from something else.
There is no time frame for updates. We do what we need to do, test everything briefly to make sure nothing conflicts, then we open the game back up. This could take 10 minutes or an hour. The wait is worth it.
Release notes will most always be written within a day or two of the update. I write them as a help to the developers so that they can keep developing. I have real life responsibilities, so I can't always get to them when the update happens.
These forums have a nice set up that allows you to report bugs. Please help out the moderators and developers by posting your reports in an organized way. If there is a thread devoted to reporting bugs, use it. Take a bit of time to research before you ask a question. We post things publicly for a reason. If both staffs are using all of their free time to bring the game back, I think you can spend a few moments to make sure you are being a help and not a hindrance.
Please don't expect a reply to a thread or PM immediately. There is no need to ask 3 people the same question because one didn't get to you right away. When I logged in today, I had 17 PMs and 120 notifications to answer. Obviously, I can't answer everything as soon as I see that.
Be encouraging. Make sure you are using your role as a Beta tester to be a help towards the game's completion, and not as an excuse to complain about how your favorite thing isn't working right. Pretend anything you say is being said to you. Do you respond well to demands and condescension? Do you want to continue doing something nice for someone when all they do is complain at you for not being perfect?
If the game launcher tells you that the game is down for an update, then the game is down for an update. We are fully aware of it. Please be patient and try logging in every few minutes to see if the update is over.
Please forgive me if this thread is too blunt, but I feel we could all gain something from these reminders.
Thank you for reading and happy Beta.
~ Cheysa
